Family faces eviction

Steven Smith tried to get council to deal with mouse problem, but now he's to be evicted.

Published:10:26Friday 21 October 2011

A BELLSHILL family are facing eviction from a house they are too scared to live in.

Steven Smith, along with his partner and five children, evacuated their house in Thorndean Avenue to temporary accommodation in Belvidere Crescent six weeks ago to allow North Lanarkshire Council to deal with a long standing rodent infestation.

And now they are facing the threat of eviction for over £1,200 of unpaid rent.

He said: “We moved in June 2009 and have just been plagued with mice, they’ve eaten clothing and photographs of the children and left droppings everywhere.

“We were promised when we moved to Belvidere Crescent that the problem would be sorted.

“But when we were told that we could move back I lifted a floorboard and there was a dead mouse and there were droppings still behind the cooker.

“I’ll accept that the mice might be dead now, but the house hasn’t been cleaned properly. Who knows what sort of diseases the mice carry. Why should I subject my children to this? One is just 18 months.”

The Times & Speaker contacted the council who claim they found just one dead mouse and would arrange for industrial cleaners to fully clean the property before Mr Smith moved back in.

However, last week Mr Smith called the Times & Speaker to say he was now being threatened with eviction over £1,200 of unpaid rent and other fees.

He said: “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to pay the rent or I was making any sort of protest over the state of the house.

“With the weather being so bad last winter, I couldn’t work so I didn’t have any money coming in.”

Pauline Maginnis, service delivery manager of housing and social work services, said: “We always take into account our tenants’ needs and circumstances to resolve any problems, however in this case it has not been possible to do so.”